Jack Harkaway and His Son's Escape from the Brigands of Greece Part 133

"By way of protecting one of his own species, I s'pose," suggested Joe.

"Perhaps. Well, he felt in all his pockets for a rattan, and he happened to get hold of the tip of his tail. Now he seed the bos'en lugging hard to get the rattan out of his pocket, for it had got entangled with the lanyard of his jack-knife, and so Jocko tugs precious hard at his tail, presuming it to be a rattan likewise, I s'pose, and, by Jove, if he doesn't pull it right out."

"Come, now," cried Joe Basalt, with a grunt, "I ain't agoing to swaller that tale."

"It's a fact. Billy Longbow was the most truthful pal I ever had--out came his nether rattan."

"Well, what next?"

"Nothing next," answered Sam Mason, with a sly look. "That was the end of Jocko's tail, and it's the end of mine too."

Now while they were engaged in listening to Sam Mason's Billy Longbow anecdote, they saw Mr. Mole come out of the deck saloon, where he had been dozing.

He walked up the deck with a certain apparent unsteadiness of gait.

"Old Mole is half seas over," said Harry Girdwood.

"I'll tell you what. Wouldn't it be a lark if we could get him to strut up and down with Nero, without knowing it?"

"That's more easily said than done, I imagine."

"Wait and see."

They crept back out of sight as Mr. Mole pa.s.sed along. Then, having made a hurried whispered consultation, young Jack stepped forth alone and tackled Mr. Mole.

"Taking the air, sir?"

"Yes, Jack--hiccup--yes, my dear boy, and I have come to look out for land."

"Land?"

"Yes."

"Are we near?"

"Sho--sho--I mean so--I shpose--s'pose--"

Mr. Mole was conscious of his speech being a little bit thick, and he hastened to add that he was suffering from toothache.

"My mouth ish sho shwollen--swollen, I mean--that I can hardly sp-- speak plainly," he said.

"Dear me! how shocking!" exclaimed young Jack.

Slipping his arm under Mr. Mole's they walked up and down talking.

Meanwhile, young Jack tipped the wink to Harry Girdwood, who slipped out of his hiding-place with Nero, and followed Mole and Jack along the deck.

Young Jack chose his opportunity well, and drawing his arm out of Mr.

Mole's he pushed Nero's in its place.

Mr. Mole, all unconscious of the change in his companion, strutted along, chattering away, secretly pleased at having such an excellent listener by his side.

"It'sh really pleasure to talk to you, my dear boy," he said.

"You un--stand with half a word--and I enjoy--a conservation--conserva --singular thing--I can't say conservashun. I enjoy--a talk--an intellectshul chat more with you than sitting down to wine with Jeffershon and Harvey, and your dear father. Good fellarsh--jolly good fellarsh--only too fond of sitting over wine. Shocking habit--shpending hours in getting tipshy--hiccup!"

Now, while Mr. Mole poured out his philosophical reflections into Nero's ear, Harry Gridwood went and fetched Harvey; old Jack and Jefferson.

Young Jack stepped back to the door of the deck saloon, and sat down while Mole turned round and hobbled up the deck again, with Nero still leaning upon his arm.

As the old gentleman came up to where they all stood, they could hear him still laying down the law to Nero.

"Yesh, Jack, my dear boy," he was saying, "wine'sh a jolly good thing-- to be ushed and not abushed. Blow my toothache--toothache--so very dericulous--don't know what I'm shaying."

Mr. Mole winked and blinked like an owl in daylight.

"Jack."

"Sir."

"Whash the devil--Jack!"

He started in utter amazement.

"Yes, sir."

"Why, Mr. Mole," said Harvey, suddenly popping out of the cabin, followed by Jefferson and old Jack, "what on earth are you walking up and down with him for?"

"Who?"

Before another word could be spoken, Nero, on a secret sign from his young master, took off his tarpaulin hat, and dabbed it on Mr. Mole's head.

Mole turned suddenly round upon his companion.

"Nero--the devil fly away with you, you beast!"

He made a dash at the monkey; but the latter was up in the shrouds and out of danger in the twingling of an eye.

"Land ho!"

"Which way?"

"Due south."

Harkaway had a gla.s.s up in a crack.